Tag Archives: Free Crochet Patterns

Many of you will agree that bobbles look fantastic on all manner of crocheted items. Not only do they offer great nubby texture, but they also work as an insulating mechanism to make scarves, hats, and blankets that much warmer. But I have to tell you that I find bobbles very tedious to make. All that business of removing and re-inserting the hook really slows down the progress of whatever you are working on. In addition, I dislike the fact that bobble-making takes quite a lot more yarn. If I am planning a design with bobbles, I always have to allow an extra skein so that I am sure I will not run out.

Well, do I have a great pattern for you bobble-haters! As I was browsing my craftroom bookshelves for a new and interesting pattern, I noticed a little pamphlet stuck behind a larger book. This little pamphlet, a booklet with two baby blankets on the cover, was something I had inherited from my mother-in-law. At first I was struck by the pretty shell design of the Boys’ Afghan. But upon closer inspection, I noticed that the Girls’ Afghan had a very interesting texture. It was difficult to see in the photo but I quickly got out my worsted weight yarn to work up a swatch. I was delighted to find that the stitch pattern approximates the bobble pattern but that the “bobbles” are actually three chains squeezed between the neighboring stitches. Wow! I really loved that pattern!

Now before we all get too excited, I should say that you will be making a half-double crochet stitch after your three chains. As we all know, working a half-double after a long chain can be a pain because the chain has a tendency to twist around the hook. On the other hand, by now all of us “intermediate and above” crocheters have come up with a method to solve this problem. I simply work my HDC in 2 stages, holding my chain out of the way with my right hand. I still feel that this is much easier and goes much faster than making bobbles! Lickity split I decided to work up a scarf in this new stitch. I call this the No Bobble “Bobble” Scarf. It is a nice comfy 10″ across and 60″ long without the fringe. If you like the chunky fringe, adding it also adds a lot of pizzazz. The pattern will be available tomorrow but here is a little preview to entice you!

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Let’s have a chat. Many comments I receive on my blog entries point out similarities between my original patterns that I make available for free and other patterns that may have been published in books, are on somebody’s blog, or are available for sale on-line.

Let me just state that any such similarities are sheer coincidence. With thousands of crafters competing in the marketplace, it is not surprising that, on occasion, two patterns may appear to be similar in stitch or design. There are a limited number of crochet stitches and these are all in the public domain. Believe me, nobody today has invented anything new! There are also traditional styles such as A-line, lapels,drop-waists, etc. None of these are new either.

Having said that, I’d also like to emphasize that, since I make my patterns available for free, I have absolutely nothing to gain by copying somebody else’s design. I make most of my clothing patterns to fit me and I design all of them from scratch. In fact, on several occasions it has appeared as if somebody has copied my design and later sold it as theirs. I do what I do because it relaxes me and I enjoy the process of creating something. As long as this is true, I’ll continue to offer my patterns for free. Let’s put this issue to rest!

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Melissa Twinset

The crochet designer, Melissa Leapman, is absolutely my favorite. Her designs are classy and well written and always up to date. Crochet With Style is an outstanding book. Indeed, I’ve made every pattern in there! I was especially taken with the stitch pattern that she used in a vest from that book. My Reader’s Digest The Ultimate ource Book of Knitting and Crochet Stitches calls it the losenge stitch, although I think that Melissa used a variation in her vest pattern. I wanted to use this stitch in my new design and since Melissa Leapman was my inspiration, I’m calling my new free pattern the Melissa Twinset.

I’m using the Cool Cotton that I bought at Smileys for 99 cents a skein. I have 15 skeins and now that I’ve finished the cardigan, I still have enough to make a tank top to match. This sweater turned out very well. It has a slight bit of shaping in the waist accomplished by simply doing several sc2tog along the waistband. Below the waist, I’ve worked the losenge pattern but above the waist the pattern changes to alternating rows of single and double crochet. I don’t want to call this pattern an “easy” because of the different stitches and the minor shaping but if you’ve been making garments for a while, this is more an “easy” than an “intermediate”. Just a couple of more photos to whet your appetite! I hope to have this finished and up on my blog this week.

It’s always great to see the projects my crochet friends have finished. In this case, Mrs D of Mrs. D Crochets, Etc has completed the Airy Drawstring Cardi, one of my free patterns offered here. She made hers using Caron Simply Soft. Didn’t it turn out great? While I was working my cardi with the cotton yarn I had purchased, I imagined that the pattern would look great in Simply Soft and I was right. I’d love to see some other variations so if any of you are working on this sweater, please send me your photos! And thanks Mrs. D for making my pattern look so good!